Draft Community Engagement Policy 2021

Consultation has now closed

The draft Community Engagement Policy 2021 is a formal expression of Council's commitment to engaging with our community and understanding the different views, experiences and expertise our community has to offer. Our community and stakeholders play a vital role in shaping the City of Maroondah and we consider community engagement to be an essential component of good governance and leadership.

The purpose of the draft Community Engagement Policy is to outline how we engage with the community, our engagement principles, as well as our framework for selecting the most appropriate engagement methods, including deliberative engagement and when this might be applied.

Developing the Policy

Since mid 2019 Council has been developing the draft Community Engagement Policy 2021. The draft Policy will replace our existing Community Engagement Policy (2015) which has guided our approach to community engagement over a number of years, ranging from sharing of information through to active participation in the development of policies,strategies and plans, major infrastructure projects and advocacy processes.

In March 2020 a new Local Government Act 2020 (the Act) was implemented in Victoria. The Act formally acknowledges the importance of community engagement and requires all Council's to adopt and maintain a Community Engagement Policy that gives effect to the principles as outlined in the Act.

The draft Community Engagement Policy 2021 has been developed based on feedback from our community and key stakeholders, research, subject matter expertise and with consideration to sector and Industry standards for best practice community engagement. The draft Policy 2021 aligns with:

• Section 55 and 56 of the Victorian Local Government Act 2020
• Victorian Auditor Generals Office - Better practice guide: Public Participation in Government Decision Making
• International Association of Public Participation (IAP2)

If you would like further information on the draft Community Engagement Policy 2021, please contact us on 1300 88 22 33 or 9298 4598